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Gascony
Alternative Aquitaine's
Destination Guide
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Gentle countryside, market towns & fantastic cuisine - even the French say this is real France
They say that Gascons live the longest of all in France.
Gascons attribute this to their daily dose of red wine, duck fat
and garlic.
If you come to Gascony for your holiday, you'll soon
see why it's conducive to longer living. This is a place to relax
and enjoy a quieter pace of life: a rural land of lumbering rivers,
gentle market towns, and rolling hills of sunflowers.
This is foie-gras-central and eating is the region's number one pastime. If you
love the markets, tranquility, history and cuisine of rural France
then Gascony is for you.
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We've
picked out five 'must-dos' when on holiday in Gascony:
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| 1 |
Jazz
at Marciac followed by an alfresco dinner in the arcade |
| 2 |
A
river barge cruise along the Baïse |
| 3 |
A
'bastide tour' of the area - on bicycle |
| 4 |
The
stained glass windows of Auch cathedral |
5 |
Gorging
on Gascon cuisine at an off-the-beaten-track auberge |
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Châteaux & medieval villages
Gascony is home to many ancient villages and châteaux -
for ideas, see places to visit below.
Horse-riding
This is a popular pursuit
throughout south west France. Equestrian centres abound
including those at Casteljaloux, Clairac and Fargues-sur-Ourbise.
Fishing
The Lot and Garonne rivers
are the two largest and well-stocked with carp, trout
and breem. Licences are relatively inexpensive and easy
to come by.
Cycling
The land is relatively gentle
here and cycling is very popular. The Aquitaine Tourist Office produces an excellent brochure with recommended cycle
routes.
Golf
Not quite as established
as on the coast, but there are good courses at Mont-de-Marsan,
Castelnaud, Barbaste and Eauze.
Spa
There are spa facilities at
Dax, Casteljaloux and Eugénie-les-Bains
River boating
The Baïse, Garonne
and Lot rivers offer some wonderful barge excursions
and river cruises.
Armagnac tasting
The major wine-producing
areas are found to the north of the Gascony,nearer Bordeaux. No area of
Aquitaine is without its regional liquor though and
in Gascony, armagnac is the lifeblood. It's reckoned
to be less refined than cognac but it wouldn't be wise
to say so when you're here. The Pays d'Armagnac is roughly
defined as the triangle between Condom, Auch and Eauze.
Jazz festivals
Between Pau and Auch,
the Marciac jazz festival is held each August and attracts visitors from around
the world.
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Châteaux,
medieval villages &
architectural sites
Bastides
Fortified 'new' towns
built in the 13 or 14th centuries around a central square and
are highly geometrical in design. Bastides are plentiful
in Gascony - examples include Larrisengle, Labastide
d'Armagnac, Vianne, Villeneuve-sur-Lot, Laparade, Monpazier, Penne d'Agenais,
Villeréal, Marciac,
Castillonès and Monflanquin.
Cathedrals & abbeys
Bazas and Auch ("oash") both have exceptional examples. The
cathedral of Bazas dates from the 13th century and is lined
on either side with some fine 16th & 17th centuryhouses.
The Place de Cathédrale and its sidestreets are
also a very pleasant place to eat out. Auch's 14th century
cathedral is famed for its stained glass and choir walls,
the latter rated one of the finest surviving in the
world today. The 12th century Abbaye de Flaran near Valence-sur-Baïse is a remarkable
Cistercian abbey and an important cultural icon.
Châteaux
Roquetaillade and Cazeneuve are both near Bazas and two of the finest in Gascony.
Also try Bonaguil near Fumel. The 13th century
bastide village of Larrisengle is worth
a visit for its amazingly neat fort.
The Moulin de Henri IV is another monument
to France's favourite king (a womanising, wildlife-shooting,
garlic-loving Gascon who liked to roam his land on horse-back
and who put an end to the country's religious wars).
The fortified mill has the appearance of a castle and
dates to the 13th century.
Roman ruins
At Seviac near Montréal, the ruins of a 5thC
Roman villa have been discovered. To date, over 30 mosaic
pavements and a swimming pool have been unearthed.
Agen
The town itself is nothing special but the Musée des Beaux Arts de Agen certainly is. The Fine Arts Museum is comprised of 16th
& 17th century mansions and includes some fine archaelogical
pieces. The other reason for coming here is prunes!
Agen is the prune captial of Europe!
Nerac
Delightfully situated on the River Baïse, this
historic town is noted for its Henri IV château.
More rewarding however, is a stroll along the lanes
of the old town, Petit Nérac, and in the park
La Garenne.
La Romieu
A charming bastide between Condom and Agen, famed
for its cats no less! There are 15 stone cats to be
found in the town, and which hail from the ancient legend
of Angéline, the Cat Woman. For she and her beloved
cats saved the village from disaster when rats, mice
and birds threaten to over-run La Romieu and plunge
it into famine. There are other cat theories of course
but his one seems to have stuck! Feline friends aside,
the village is a delight, not least its 14th centurycollegiate
chapel.
Casteljaloux
Literally meaning "jealous town",
Casteljaloux maintains some of its medieval charm. It's
quite an active town with its leisure lake, golf course
and equestrian centre. There's also a new thermal spa
centre.
Dax
The most popular spa in France. In truth this is the
principal reason for coming to Dax although the town has
an impressive 11thC Cathédrale Notre-Dame, Musée
de Borda (archaeological museum) and there are pleasant
walks along the Adour.
Mont de Marsan
A major commercial centre of Gascony which has an excellent market every
Tuesday and Saturday morning. In the summer, Mont-de-Marsan
hosts a big festival with bull-fighting and courses
landaises events. There are a couple of museums and a
pleasant park.
Eugénie-les-Bains
Another spa town today more famous for its Michel
Guérard Restaurant and hotel. This
Michelin 3 Star eatery requires a bit of pre-planning
if you want to reserve a table.
Chalosse
The gentle Chalosse countryside follows the Adour river
through some splendidly sleepy, ancient towns such as
Grenade-sur-l'Adour, Aire-sur-l'Adour, St Sever and
Mugron. This is ideal territory for cycling, visiting
markets and indulging in local delicacies such as foie
gras, armagnac and prunes.
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Gascon dishes
Jolly bad
luck if you're a duck and you live
in Gascony. There are many ways in which you can be
consumed. The same can be said for your cousin, the
goose.
Foie gras, magrets (grilled
breast meat served with a light cream sauce, garlic
and parsley) and confits (cook the leftover bits, put
them back in the duck fat and re-heat) are three traditional
methods of serving up a duck or goose. The gizzards
are not to be wasted either. We know that doesn't sound
particularly attractive, but the gésiers which
make up a salade landaise are a wonderful delicacy.
Gascon cuisine relies heavily on meat - this is rural
France after all - and so it can be a difficult place
to eat out if you're a vegetarian; apart from asparagus
(fresh and delicious) there isn't much on offer.
Game birds are also revered in Gascon kitchens - bécassier
(woodcock), palombe (wood pigeon) and ortolan (bunting)
will occasionally crop-up on menus in many an auberge. The birds
can be cooked, as you would imagine, in a startling
variety of ways, a Gascon favourite being to roast and
flambée them in armagnac. Obviously.
If all of this sounds rather rich and unhealthy, you
might be surprised to learn that heart disease in Gascony
is half the rate it is in the USA and it is no suprise
to see a nonagerian Gascon.
Wine & Armagnac
When you're in Gascony you're never far from a prune - and there's not many places in the world you can say
that. You'll see them in all manner of dishes but not
in the way that all British children loathe. French
prunes are delicious, none more so than when dipped
in chocolate or flambéed in armagnac. But don't
forget that in French, "prune" means plum!
Try "pruneau" instead.
Gascony's mild climate has assured its wine-growing
status since Roman times. Madiran and Tursan are both earthy reds - the latter
is said to be the most tannic wine in France. Armagnac,
as you may already have gathered, is the regional digéstif
plus there's Floc de Gascogne, a sherry-like apéritif
which comes in white and red varieties.
Follow this link to find out some more about Food
and drink of Gascony
Bon appetit!
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